Curtain assembly for a workbench

ABSTRACT

A curtain assembly is suitable for use with a workbench that has a tabletop on top of a base member. The curtain assembly includes left and right mounting brackets, rear, left and right curtain rods, and rear, left and right draperies. The mounting brackets are adapted to be mounted respectively on rear left and rear right corner portions of the tabletop so as to extend uprightly from the tabletop. The rear curtain rod has opposite ends mounted respectively on upper ends of the mounting brackets. Each of the left and right curtain rods has a rear end mounted to the upper end of a respective one of the left and right mounting brackets. The rear drapery has a heading portion connected to the rear curtain rod such that the rear drapery hangs downwardly to cover a rear side of the tabletop. The left and right draperies have heading portions respectively connected to the left and right curtain rods such that the left and right draperies hang downwardly to cover left and right sides of the tabletop, respectively.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The invention relates to a curtain assembly for a workbench, moreparticularly to a curtain assembly that limits scattering of sawdustaround the tabletop so as to facilitate collection of sawdust.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] In a woodworking factory, the huge amount of sawdust createdduring woodworking operations is not only detrimental to health, it canalso damage the woodworking equipment and pollutes the workingenvironment. Therefore, it has been the concern of manufacturers todevelop workbenches with an air filtration capability. FIG. 1 shows sucha workbench. As shown, the conventional workbench includes a base 1, atabletop 2 on top of the base 1 and having multiple perforations 201, afiltering device 3, and a suction device (not shown). When the suctiondevice is actuated, sawdust created during operation of the workbench isdrawn into the interior of the base 1 via the perforations 201 in thetabletop 2, and the sawdust-laden air is filtered through the filteringdevice 3 to be discharged as sawdust-free air while the sawdust iscollected in the filtering device 3. However, although some of thesawdust will be drawn into the base 1 of the workbench, some will flyaround, which is a problem left unsolved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to providea curtain assembly for a workbench to limit scattering of sawdust arounda tabletop of the workbench so as to facilitate collection of thesawdust.

[0006] Accordingly, a curtain assembly of this invention is adapted foruse with a workbench. The workbench includes a base member and arectangular tabletop mounted on top of the base member. The tabletop hasopposite front and rear edges that are spaced apart in a firstdirection, and opposite left and right edges that are spaced apart in asecond direction transverse to the first direction. The curtain assemblyincludes left and right mounting brackets, rear, left and right curtainrods, and rear, left and right draperies. The mounting brackets areadapted to be mounted on a respective one of rear left and rear rightcorner portions of the tabletop so as to extend uprightly from thetabletop, and are spaced apart from each other in the second direction.The rear curtain rod extends in the second direction, and has oppositeends mounted respectively on upper ends of the mounting brackets. Theleft curtain rod extends in the first direction, and has a rear endmounted to the upper end of the left mounting bracket. The right curtainrod extends in the first direction, and has a rear end mounted to theupper end of the right mounting bracket. The rear drapery has a headingportion connected to the rear curtain rod such that the rear draperyhangs downwardly to cover a rear side of the tabletop. The left draperyhas a heading portion connected to the left curtain rod such that theleft drapery hangs downwardly to cover a left side of the tabletop. Theright drapery has a heading portion connected to the right curtain rodsuch that the right drapery hangs downwardly to cover a right side ofthe tabletop.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Other features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent in the following detailed description of the preferredembodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

[0008]FIG. 1 is a partly exploded perspective view of a conventionalworkbench;

[0009]FIG. 2 is an exploded rear perspective view of the preferredembodiment of a curtain assembly for a workbench according to theinvention;

[0010]FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the preferred embodimentwhen applied to the tabletop of a workbench;

[0011]FIG. 4 is a fragmentary partly sectional view of the preferredembodiment, illustrating assembly of a rear curtain rod and a mountingbracket to the tabletop of the workbench;

[0012]FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of the preferredembodiment, illustrating installation of a drapery on a curtain rod; and

[0013]FIG. 6 is a schematic view illustrating height adjustment of thecurtain assembly according to the preferred embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0014] Referring to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the preferred embodiment of acurtain assembly according to the present invention is adapted for usewith a workbench 100. The workbench 100 includes a base member 101 and arectangular tabletop 102 mounted on top of the base member 101. Thetabletop 102 has opposite front and rear edges 110, 120 that are spacedapart in a first direction, opposite left and right edges 130, 140 thatare spaced apart in a second direction transverse to the firstdirection, and rear left and right corner portions. Rear left and rightcorner brackets 150 are respectively mounted to the rear left and rightcorner portions of the tabletop 102. Each of the rear left and rightcorner brackets 150 is provided with a threaded hole 160. Furthermore,the tabletop 102 is provided with a multiplicity of perforations 170that cooperate with a known air filtration device (not shown) and aknown suction device (not shown) to collect sawdust. As the collectionof sawdust is known in the art, a detailed description thereof isdispensed with herein. The curtain assembly includes left and rightmounting brackets 11, rear, left and right curtain rods 12, 13, 14, andrear, left and right draperies 20A, 20B, 20C. The mounting brackets 11are adapted to be mounted respectively on the rear left and right cornerbrackets 150 of the tabletop 102 so as to extend uprightly from thetabletop 102, and are spaced apart from each other in the seconddirection. Each of the mounting brackets 11 has a generally L-shapedcross-section, and includes an upright rear plate portion 113 that isadapted to abut against the rear edge 120 of the tabletop 102, and anupright side plate portion 115 that extends in the first direction fromthe upright rear plate portion 113 and that is adapted to abut against arespective one of the left and right edges 130, 140 of the tabletop 102.The rear plate portion 113 of each of the mounting brackets 11 is formedwith a vertically extending slot 114. The mounting brackets 11 areadapted to be mounted adjustably on the rear left and right cornerbrackets 150 of the tabletop 102 so as to permit height adjustment ofthe rear, left and right curtain rods 12, 13, 14 relative to thetabletop 102. This will be explained in greater detail in the succeedingparagraphs.

[0015] The rear curtain rod 12 extends in the second direction, and hasopposite ends mounted respectively on upper ends of the mountingbrackets 11. The left and right curtain rods 13, 14 extend in the firstdirection. Each of the left and right curtain rods 13, 14 has a rear endmounted to the upper end of the side plate portion 115 of the respectiveone of the left and right mounting brackets 11 by the use of screws 131,141. The opposite ends of the rear curtain rod 12 are mounted on therear plate portions 113 of the mounting brackets 11 by the use of screws121. As such, the rear, left and right curtain rods 12, 13, 14constitute a generally U-shaped curtain mounting frame.

[0016] The rear drapery 20A has a heading portion 21A connected to therear curtain rod 12 such that the rear drapery 20A hangs downwardly tocover a rear side of the tabletop 102. The left drapery 20B has aheading portion 21B connected to the left curtain rod 13 such that theleft drapery 20B hangs downwardly to cover a left side of the tabletop102. The right drapery 20C has a heading portion 21C connected to theright curtain rod 14 such that the right drapery 20C hangs downwardly tocover a right side of the tabletop 102. In this embodiment, each of therear, left and right draperies 20A, 20B, 20C is made from a single pieceof fabric that is folded at the upper end to form the heading portion21A, 21B, 21C by sewing. In addition, the portion of each of the rear,left and right draperies 20A, 20B, 20C below the respective headingportion 21A, 21B, 21C is formed with a plurality of vertically extendingslits 23, thereby configuring each of the rear, left and right draperies20A, 20B, 20C with a plurality of vertically extending shade portions 22that extend downwardly from the respective heading portion 21A, 21B,21C. During installation, the heading portions 21A, 21B, 21C can besleeved on the rear, left and right curtain rods 12, 13, 14,respectively, prior to mounting of the rear, left and right curtain rods12, 13, 14 on the left and right mounting brackets 11, and screws may beused to pass through the ends of the heading portions 21A, 21B, 21C toposition the latter on the rear, left and right curtain rods 12, 13, 14,respectively (see FIG. 5). As such, the rear, left and right draperies20A, 20B, 20C cooperatively form a curtain that covers the rear, leftand right sides of the tabletop 102, except the front side where thewoodworker is supposed to be. The curtain assembly further includes abridging rod 10 that extends in the second direction and thatinterconnects lower ends of the rear plate portions 113 of the mountingbrackets 11.

[0017] In addition, the curtain assembly includes a pair of screwfasteners 16 and a pair of handles 15. Each of the screw fasteners 16extends through the slot 114 in the rear plate portion 113 of arespective one of the mounting brackets 11, and engages the threadedhole 160 in the respective one of the brackets 150 so as to be adaptedto secure the respective one of the mounting brackets 11 to therespective one of the rear left and right corner brackets 150 of thetabletop 102. The handles 15 are screwably mounted on the screwfasteners 16 to facilitate rotary driving of the screw fasteners 16.Referring to FIG. 6, when it is necessary to adjust the height of therear, left and right curtain rods 12, 13, 14, hence the rear, left andright draperies 20A, 20B, 20C, relative to the tabletop 102, thewoodworker can turn the handles 15 with both hands to thereby loosen thescrew fasteners 16 slightly such that the mounting brackets 11 canslidably displace within the range of the slot 114 relative to the rearleft and right corner brackets 150 of the tabletop 102 to a desirableheight. After height adjustment, the handles 15 are turned to tightenthe screw fasteners 16 once again. It can be seen that the heightadjustment according to this invention is very easy and convenient toperform.

[0018] During woodworking operation, the sawdust created from thetabletop 102 is blocked by the rear, left and right draperies 20A, 20B,20C, and is forced to drop onto the tabletop 102 where it is collectedvia a known method.

[0019] In addition, due to the arrangement of the slits 23, when a longworkpiece is placed upon the tabletop 102, the workpiece can extendthrough the shade portions 22 without undue interference from thedraperies 20A, 20B, 20C. While the present invention has been describedin connection with what is considered the most practical and preferredembodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to thedisclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangementsincluded within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation soas to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.

I claim:
 1. A curtain assembly adapted for use with a workbench, theworkbench including a base member and a rectangular tabletop mounted ontop of the base member, the tabletop having opposite front and rearedges that are spaced apart in a first direction, and opposite left andright edges that are spaced apart in a second direction transverse tothe first direction, said curtain assembly comprising: left and rightmounting brackets adapted to be mounted respectively on rear left andrear right corner portions of the tabletop so as to extend uprightlyfrom the tabletop, said mounting brackets being spaced apart from eachother in the second direction; a rear curtain rod extending in thesecond direction and having opposite ends mounted respectively on upperends of said mounting brackets; a left curtain rod extending in thefirst direction and having a rear end mounted to said upper end of saidleft mounting bracket; a right curtain rod extending in the firstdirection and having a rear end mounted to said upper end of said rightmounting bracket; a rear drapery having a heading portion connected tosaid rear curtain rod such that said rear drapery hangs downwardly tocover a rear side of the tabletop; a left drapery having a headingportion connected to said left curtain rod such that said left draperyhangs downwardly to cover a left side of the tabletop; and a rightdrapery having a heading portion connected to said right curtain rodsuch that said right drapery hangs downwardly to cover a right side ofthe tabletop.
 2. The curtain assembly as claimed in claim 1, whereineach of said mounting brackets includes an upright rear plate portionthat is adapted to abut against the rear edge of the tabletop, and anupright side plate portion that extends in the first direction from saidupright rear plate portion and that is adapted to abut against arespective one of the left and right edges of the tabletop.
 3. Thecurtain assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said opposite ends ofsaid rear curtain rod are mounted on said rear plate portions of saidmounting brackets, and said rear end of each of said left and rightcurtain rods is mounted on said side plate portion of the respective oneof said mounting brackets.
 4. The curtain assembly as claimed in claim1, further comprising a bridging rod that extends in the seconddirection and that interconnects lower ends of said mounting brackets.5. The curtain assembly as claimed in claim 2, further comprising abridging rod that extends in the second direction and that interconnectslower ends of said rear plate portions of said mounting brackets.
 6. Thecurtain assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said mounting bracketsare adapted to be mounted adjustably on the rear left and rear rightcorner portions of the tabletop so as to permit height adjustment ofsaid rear, left and right curtain rods relative to the tabletop.
 7. Thecurtain assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said mountingbrackets is formed with a vertically extending slot, said curtainassembly further comprising a pair of screw fasteners, each of whichextends through said slot in a respective one of said mounting bracketsand is adapted to secure the respective one of said mounting brackets tothe tabletop.
 8. The curtain assembly as claimed in claim 1, whereineach of said rear, left and right draperies is formed with a pluralityof vertically extending slits, thereby configuring each of said rear,left and right draperies with a plurality of vertically extending shadeportions that extend downwardly from said heading portion.
 9. Aworkbench comprising: a base member; a rectangular tabletop mounted ontop of said base member, said tabletop having opposite front and rearedges that are spaced apart in a first direction, opposite left andright edges that are spaced apart in a second direction transverse tothe first direction, a rear left corner portion and a rear right cornerportion; and a curtain assembly including left and right mountingbrackets mounted respectively on said rear left and rear right cornerportions of said tabletop so as to extend uprightly from said tabletop,said mounting brackets being spaced apart from each other in the seconddirection, a rear curtain rod extending in the second direction andhaving opposite ends mounted respectively on upper ends of said mountingbrackets, a left curtain rod extending in the first direction and havinga rear end mounted to said upper end of said left mounting bracket, aright curtain rod extending in the first direction and having a rear endmounted to said upper end of said right mounting bracket, a rear draperyhaving a heading portion connected to said rear curtain rod such thatsaid rear drapery hangs downwardly to cover a rear side of saidtabletop, a left drapery having a heading portion connected to said leftcurtain rod such that said left drapery hangs downwardly to cover a leftside of said tabletop, and a right drapery having a heading portionconnected to said right curtain rod such that said right drapery hangsdownwardly to cover a right side of said tabletop.
 10. The workbench asclaimed in claim 9, wherein each of said mounting brackets includes anupright rear plate portion that abuts against said rear edge of saidtabletop, and an upright side plate portion that extends in the firstdirection from said upright rear plate portion and that abuts against arespective one of said left and right edges of said tabletop.
 11. Theworkbench as claimed in claim 10, wherein said opposite ends of saidrear curtain rod are mounted on said rear plate portions of saidmounting brackets, and said rear end of each of said left and rightcurtain rods is mounted on said side plate portion of the respective oneof said mounting brackets.
 12. The workbench as claimed in claim 9,wherein said curtain assembly further includes a bridging rod thatextends in the second direction and that interconnects lower ends ofsaid mounting brackets.
 13. The workbench as claimed in claim 10,wherein said curtain assembly further includes a bridging rod thatextends in the second direction and that interconnects lower ends ofsaid rear plate portions of said mounting brackets.
 14. The workbench asclaimed in claim 9, wherein said mounting brackets are mountedadjustably on said rear left and rear right corner portions of saidtabletop so as to permit height adjustment of said rear, left and rightcurtain rods relative to said tabletop.
 15. The workbench as claimed inclaim 9, wherein each of said mounting brackets is formed with avertically extending slot, said curtain assembly further including apair of screw fasteners, each of which extends through said slot in arespective one of said mounting brackets so as to secure the respectiveone of said mounting brackets to said tabletop.
 16. The workbench asclaimed in claim 9, wherein each of said rear, left and right draperiesis formed with a plurality of vertically extending slits, therebyconfiguring each of said rear, left and right draperies with a pluralityof vertically extending shade portions that extend downwardly from saidheading portion.